An art exhibition about male nudes has proven a sell-out success at a gallery in Austria - despite causing outrage before it opened with a picture of three naked footballers.

The promotional poster featured a photograph called 'Vive La France' by French artists Pierre & Gilles that depicts three players stood on a pitch wearing nothing but socks and boots, being showered with confetti.

The censored poster... click through the gallery below to see the original

A public outcry promoted the Leopold Museum in Vienna to cover up the offending tackle, but the photo's jubilant scene proved prophetic - since it opened, 'Nude Men from 1800 to the present day' has proven even more popular than the gallery's recent show on the work of Gustav Klimt, Austria's most famous artist.

Open until 28 January, the show looks at how male nudity has evolved in art and includes pieces by Egon Schiele, Auguste Rodin and Andy Warhol.

A spokesperson for the Leopold, Klaus Pokorny, told us: "It's a big success, with more than 2000 daily visitors.

"And we're delighted it now has a worldwide echo on The Huffington Post!"

See the highlights of the show below... WARNING: CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGES